


tangerine

by soymilksi



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bottom Eren Yeager, Character Death, Drinking, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Interns & Internships, Levi Being an Asshole (Shingeki no Kyojin), Levi is a drunk srry, M/M, Modern Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, Slow Burn, Top Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Trauma, erejean smut, when i say slow burn i mean it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:23:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27622676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soymilksi/pseuds/soymilksi
Summary: Eren’s parents and Erwin die in the same tragic plane crash that push Eren and Levi to meet in a hospital waiting room. A year later, Eren's an intern at a tech startup and Levi's his boss.Things have changed for the worse, but Eren is convinced that the same kind Levi he met in the waiting room is still there somewhere.
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager, minor Eren/Jean, minor Levi/Petra
Comments: 34
Kudos: 74





	1. when tragedy strikes

**Author's Note:**

> let's see if I can stick with this lol. I've been craving a normal, pre-COVID-times fic to get my mind off the chaos that is the U.S. right now

Eren is the type of person who walks around his room in his underwear, almost religiously procrastinates on getting his hair cut, and sometimes locks his keys in his car. Eren is _not_ the type of person who sits frozen in hospitals, watching the hands of the clock glide over to the “2” while a nurse offers him water, maybe some coffee, or a warm blanket perhaps?

No, the nurse doesn’t have what he wants. Information, he replies. “Tell me where my parents are! They’re Grisha and Carla Jaeger! I’m sick and tired of waiting.” His loud voice cracks and trembles with his body. He buries his face in his calloused palms and tries his best to ignore the wailing sounds of the couple behind him.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have any more information than you do, sir. We’ll hear back soon.”

The nurse, stressed from Eren’s outburst, heads to the next person. Eren glances over and the woman is in such shock that she completely ignores the nurse. He hears her ask for her 8-year-old son, says he was in row 15, seat D.

Eren has to turn his head away, unable to listen to the sobbing woman talk about her son. There are at least 50 people in the waiting room and even more waiting outside in the cold. The television replays the same headlines over and over again: Plane crash. Over 150 passengers. Water landing.

Eren pictures his parents struggling for breath in the freezing Atlantic, arms flailing helplessly. No, my parents are good swimmers, he tries to tell himself. He glosses over the fact that his mother’s legs haven’t been functioning for years.

Eren looks at the other person next to him. The man looks just as stressed as he is. He’s slumped over, forehead in his palms just like Eren. His eyes are bloodshot just like Eren's.

Eren feels compelled to make conversation. He has a nervous habit of chattering, even at inappropriate times. “Who are you waiting for?”

The man looks up at him, clearly annoyed and a deep scowl on his face. He almost looks scary.

“I-” Eren starts to mutter an apology, but decides not to. “I’m waiting for my parents.”

“I know, brat, the whole hospital could hear you.” The man rolls his eyes.

A blush colors Eren’s cheeks as he mutters, “I didn’t mean to. I’m not the type of person who yells at nurses.”

“Something tells me I shouldn’t believe you,” the man snorts.

Eren huffs, ears reddening with embarrassment. He's just trying to have a nice, distracting conversation.

“Something tells me you’re not a people person, either,” Eren retorts under his breath.

The man seems to have heard him. “I’m not, which is why I’d really like to end this conversation right about now.”

Eren huffs again and shuts his mouth, eager to stop talking to such a rude person. He now feels awkward in his seat and shifts uncomfortably.

Moments pass until the man speaks up. “My best friend.”

A confused “What?” slips out of Eren’s lips instantly.

The man groans. “You asked me who I’m waiting for, shithead.”

Eren narrows his eyes. “I thought you weren’t talking to me.”

“Shut up. You asked, I answered.”

“Do you think he survived? Your best friend?” Eren asks after a minute, biting his lip.

The man looks up at Eren. Eren holds his stare, bright green eyes staring into an almost empty pair of gray ones.

“He’s a fighter, that one. I’ll never forgive him if he’s dead.”

Eren nods and the two sink back to quietness.

“What about your parents?” the man speaks up.

“My mom’s legs... she can’t walk or swim,” Eren replies quietly.

“Your dad’s got her,” the man assures immediately.

“Yeah…” Eren trails off, picturing his father hoisting his mother up onto an emergency raft. The image gives him a ray of hope.

“God, my ass is gonna get flat if I sit on this chair any longer,” the man sighs.

Eren resists the urge to crack a smile. “I bet it’s already flat.”

The man pauses and Eren instantly regrets saying anything. He braces himself for impact.

“No, my ass is glorious. You wouldn’t know a thing about what a glorious ass looks like.”

“Sure, dude.” Eren looks down at the man’s legs. “I guess when you’re vertically challenged you have to compromise horizontally.”

He seems to have struck a nerve. Eren bites his lip. The man’s eyes widen and a smile cracks at a corner of his lips. He sticks a hand out. “Levi.”

Eren splutters, “What?”

“What, are you deaf? Blind? My name is Levi.” His gaze drops down to his outstretched hand.

Eren’s mouth forms an “o” shape as he takes Levi’s hand in his own. After he lets go, Levi looks at him expectantly. It takes Eren a few seconds to realize he hadn’t introduced himself.

“Oh! I’m Eren!” he says, a bright blush lining his cheeks. His face falters. “Sorry, I can’t really- I can’t…”

“Me too, kid.”

“I’m scared,” Eren admits.

Levi nods in understanding. “Look around you. We’re all scared.”

“I laugh at funerals,” Eren says suddenly.

Levi looks at him with an amused expression. “You’re that person, huh?”

“It’s inappropriate, I know,” Eren groans into his hands. “Once, at my uncle’s funeral, I was looking at his kid -my cousin- and I suddenly remembered this one time he shit his pants during a nap when I was at their house and I just couldn’t stop laughing. My dad nearly strangled me right then and there.”

“You’re such a charmer,” Levi comments with a snort. “Reminds me of when Erwin -that’s the friend I’m waiting for- begged me to babysit his nephew -honestly, only God knows why when I absolutely hate kids- and it was a _literal_ shitshow. Literally, Eren. Shit everywhere. Last time I ever did Erwin a favor out of the goodwill of my heart.”

“Gosh, did you clean it all up?” Eren snickers.

“Did I- _did I clean it up?_ ” Levi repeats, eyes shining. “That kid has never seen a cleaner home in his life. The counters? Immaculate.”

Despite everything, Eren laughs loudly.

“God, is this like the ‘laughing at funerals’ thing? You’re gonna embarrass us, kid. I’m gonna change seats if you keep laughing. Gonna call security on you,” Levi threatens emptily, brows furrowed in confusion.

Eren swipes at the corner of his eye, shoulders shaking. He finally stops laughing and looks down at his hands. His voice drops, “I just can’t believe… I’m talking to a stranger about literal, actual shit while I’m waiting to hear if my parents are dead or alive.”

“I’m just as discombobulated as you,” Levi assures.

Eren’s eyes widen and he starts to laugh again. “I don’t even know what that word means but it sounds absolutely ridiculous.”

“You’re right. I pulled it out of my ass and I really hope it means what I think it means. My therapist said I have to expand my ‘feelings’ vocabulary.”

Eren feigns surprise. “My therapist said the same thing!”

Levi chuckles. The pair chats for another hour. Eren learns of Levi’s crappy holidays spent with Erwin’s family (who is currently on a plane for the next few hours), how he’s working a senior position at a fancy tech company and how all of his coworkers are useless, and that, funnily enough, Levi actually enjoys being in hospitals because of the sterile environment and the “calming” smell of rubbing alcohol. Levi gives Eren advice to never let anyone act like he doesn’t belong in a space. Eren has a lingering feeling that Levi struggled a lot in his youth.

Levi nearly drops his coffee when he finds out that Eren is in his senior year of high school (“Shit, you’re a fetus, Eren. An embryo. A _germ cell_.” Eren did not take kindly to being called a germ). Levi nods when Eren tells him that his two best friends, Armin and Mikasa (who were both away at a leadership conference), are amazing and smart and got accepted to prestigious private universities while Eren’s going to a state college, and that Eren is afraid of pigeons (“They’re the Devil’s spawn, I tell you. They once chased me down the street because I had a brownie in my pocket.” Levi then roasted Eren for keeping food in his pockets but Eren promised, cross his heart hope to die, that the brownie was wrapped in a napkin).

They try to ignore the families being called one-by-one or the fact that they see more grief than happiness in the faces of the people who come back through the double doors. Instead, Levi and Eren find refuge in light jokes and stories of the people they’re waiting for.

Finally, “Family of Grisha and Carla Jaeger?”

Eren stops mid-sentence and instantly jumps out of his seat. His heart beats unsteadily. He turns his head to Levi, unsure of what to do.

Levi nods at Eren. “Say hello to your parents for me.”

“Thank you, Levi,” Eren whispers, “It was really nice meeting you.”

“You too, Eren.” Levi smiles at Eren genuinely.

Eren weakly smiles back. His knees tremble as he follows a nurse through the double doors.

A half hour passes. Eren walks back through the double doors and into the waiting room alone. Levi’s seat is empty.


	2. slamming the breaks

It’s hot. Too hot for Eren to be wearing a suit. Eren turns to look at Mikasa helplessly. “Why is it so hot? It’s winter.”

“Climate change, Eren,” Mikasa says simply, adjusting her necklace in the mirror. She smooths out her black dress with the palms of her hands. “Where’s Armin?”

Eren checks his phone. No new messages. “I think he’s driving. He told me he’d stop by the store to get some flowers.”

“Okay, we’ve got the flowers…” Mikasa mutters to herself. She stares at Eren and groans. “Eren, for God’s sake, put a tie on. And don’t sit on my nightstand.”

Eren rolls his eyes. “You’re not Mom, Mikasa.”

“Don’t you think I _know_ that, asshole?” Mikasa retorts before throwing a tie on Eren’s face. Eren catches it in his hands.

“Sorry,” Eren mutters. He throws the tie over his neck. “I think this whole funeral thing is stupid.”

“Which part? Honoring our dead parents or… I don’t know, honoring our dead parents?”

“The part where the airline company is hosting the service,” Eren comments irritatedly. “They have no right.”

“They’re trying to make amends, Eren,” Mikasa says softly, finishing up Eren’s tie for him. “80% of the people on that plane died last week.”

“Half of them died on impact, and the other half froze to death and drowned in the ocean! Because they didn’t bother to do maintenance on the damn plane!” Eren hisses angrily. “They deserve the damn lawsuit coming at them. We’re gonna win, Mikasa. And they’re gonna pay for what they did to Mom and Dad.”

Mikasa gently places her hands over Eren’s trembling fists. “We’re gonna win,” she repeats.

The pair instinctively turns to look at the TV playing softly in the background. It’s replaying last night’s protest against the airline company, which was led by Eren. Eren is giving a passionate speech on the screen as he demands accountability and compensation for the victims and their families.

“God, turn that off, please,” Eren sighs. “I hate this. I hate this so much.”

“Okay.” Just as Mikasa turns the TV off, they hear the door swing open from downstairs.

“Guys!” Armin calls.

“Up here!” The siblings chime.

They listen as light footsteps tread upstairs. Armin appears in the open doorway. His hair is neat and bouncy as ever. The white lilies in his hand shine in the sunlight that filters through Mikasa’s room windows.

“Hey,” Armin says softly, reaching to hug Mikasa and then Eren. “How are you guys doing?”

“Oh, just peachy. Ready to get our funeral on,” Eren replies as he squeezes his friend in his arms.

\--

The service is jam packed with news reporters, camera flashes, and grieving families. Many people greet Eren with worn smiles, telling him he’s an inspiration and a leader for the next generation. He replies that he’s just making sure justice is served.

Eren briefly wonders if he’ll see Levi at the service. He hadn’t seen him since the day a nurse walked him to an empty room and told him he was an orphan. He remembers looking at the victim list and a man named Erwin Smith was on it. Eren assumes that’s the Erwin that Levi was waiting for.

“Have you cried much, Eren?” Armin asks beside him as they wait for the service to start. Eren looks down at his friend, who’s tearing up already. “I just… I haven’t seen you cry since that day.”

Eren grabs Armin’s hand and squeezes it. He can't admit that he's been crying every night for a week.

“They were like parents to me,” Armin says, squeezing Eren’s hand back.

“I know.”

Mikasa sits on Eren’s other side. Eren offers her his hand as well and she takes it, tears already rolling down her cheeks.

Eren lets go of their hands and wraps his arms around their necks to pull them into a hug. He feels Mikasa’s shoulders tremble and Armin’s sink all the way down. “We’re gonna be okay,” Eren whispers, biting his lip.

“What are you guys gonna do now?” Armin asks quietly as Eren pulls his arms back.

When Eren hesitates to answer, Mikasa takes the initiative. “I’m not going to Harvard. I’m staying with Eren.”

Eren splutters, “Mikasa, what the fuck?!”

Armin looks just as surprised.

“Why would you do that?” Eren seethes, nearly butting his head into Mikasa’s. “I’m not your kid so you don’t have to babysit me! Mom and Dad saved up for you to go!”

Mikasa averts her gaze. “That’s not what I’m trying to do, Eren. We have to look out for each other. We’re…”

“Orphans,” Eren finishes for her.

“Exactly. It’s my life and I can choose what college I go to.”

“Mikasa, you’re being stupid-”

“Eren,” Armin interrupts, “The service is starting.”

\--

  
Eren doesn't cry. Even as he walks up to his parents’ portraits and lays flowers down for them and tells them goodbye, he doesn't cry. He doesn't cry when Mikasa breaks down in front of the portraits, nor when Armin tells him his dad kept a picture of the family plus Armin in his wallet (the same leather wallet that was used to identify his body).

No, Eren doesn’t cry. Instead, he’s angry. Mikasa held him down with an iron grip when an airline representative gave the opening speech. For extra measure, she threatened to knock his teeth out if he caused a ruckus.

Mikasa doesn’t get it, Eren thinks. She can’t see the injustice that Eren sees. But deep down, he knows he’s wrong– Mikasa had attended every protest with Eren and joined the group of victims and families suing the airline.

Eren lets out a quiet, strangled scream from his throat and kicks a wall. He immediately retracts his leg on the impact from the pain.

“Fuck!” he yelps. He impatiently waits outside for Mikasa and Armin, who are busy talking to other family members in the main hall.

“I believe you’re damaging private property right now. Should I call security?”

Eren whips around, still fuming from the pain on his now-bruised toe. He recognizes the voice instantly and stumbles backward. He nearly falls flat until Levi catches his back with one hand to steady him.

“Levi,” Eren breathes. “It’s more like the wall damaged me, though.”

Levi snorts, earning a pleased smile from Eren as he hoists Eren up. Eren frowns. “I didn’t see you at the service.”

“Were you looking for me?” Levi teases.

“No!” Eren blurts. He groans inwardly, feeling a rush of blood to his cheeks.

“I was in the back. Couldn’t miss your rat’s nest of a head from a mile away, though. Not to mention the ruckuses you keep causing and, oh, the reporters. You’re quite the celebrity, Eren.”

“Hey! My hair's not that bad!” Eren huffs, rushing to pat his hair down.

Levi rolls his eyes. Eren watches as Levi pulls a cigarette out, brings it to his lips, and lights it with trained expertise.

“Those kill you, you know,” Eren chides.

“Oh, really?” Levi replies with a tone dripping in sarcasm. He gestures to his pack. “Wanna die?”

“I enjoy having perfectly good lungs, thank you very much.” After a beat, Eren says, “It’s good to see you, Levi.”

Levi chuckles and takes a long drag of his cigarette before releasing it from his lips. “You barely know me, kid.”

Eren blushes. “That’s not true!” When Eren realizes he's just made an outburst, he blushes even harder. Levi cocks an eyebrow.

“You’re so vocal,” Levi comments under his breath.

“I just feel like we really bonded,” Eren murmurs, looking at Levi expectantly.

Levi meets his expectant gaze with emptiness in his eyes. “You weren’t imagining it.”

Levi’s response makes Eren’s chest swell with pride.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Eren. I honestly hoped we wouldn’t meet again, not like this.”

“You too,” Eren replies grimly. “I saw Mr. Smith’s name on the list.”

Levi turns his head before taking another drag of his cigarette.

“You didn’t laugh this time.”

Eren is initially confused until he remembers telling Levi he tends to laugh at funerals. “Oh, well… I particularly hate this one.”

“Grisha,” Levi starts, and Eren’s eyes widen when he hears his dad’s name leave Levi’s lips. “Grisha Jaeger saved a bunch of lives before he died. I heard a survivor talking and she mentioned a doctor named Grisha who brought her to the surface when she was drowning, up onto the rafts. Kept doing it. Said his wife… your mom... didn’t survive the impact.”

“Oh…” Eren says quietly.

Eren doesn’t cry. Eren isn’t angry. He sinks to the cement because he’s too weak to stand, crosses his legs, and shuts his eyes as tight as he can. If he shuts his eyes hard enough, then maybe the tears won’t come out.

“I- I’m sor-” he tries, his voice high-pitched and cracking. He pictures his dad finding his mom’s mangled body in the wreckage.

His breath hinges, gets lodged in his throat. The tears pour out like a broken dam. He sobs into his hands loudly.

“H-How do I… what am I supposed to do?” Eren cries, the words getting lost in his sobbing.

Levi crouches down to Eren’s level and reaches over to place a gentle hand on Eren’s back, cigarette in the other hand. “Life is unfair, Eren. My mom died in front of me when I was still a kid. You never really get over it, you just kind of… move forward. You keep going.”

“I can’t! I can’t do this!”

Levi takes Eren’s hand, which is wet with his tears. “Yes, you can. You have Mikasa, and… shit, I forgot his name, Arnold?”

This makes Eren laugh despite himself. “Armin,” he corrects with a smile and a hiccup.

Levi smiles while retracting his hand. “Right, Arthur.”

Eren groans and playfully slaps Levi’s back. “You’re impossible.”

Levi smirks. “I’m not usually this nice, so don’t tell people I held your hand.”

Eren laughs quietly, breaths beginning to even out. “Thank you, Levi. I appreciate it.”

Levi nods in reply. “You’ll be okay.”

The two of them stand and Eren wipes his eyes. Levi smashes his cigarette into the ground.

“Listen, Eren.”

Eren perks up.

“I’m pretty sure we’ll never see each other again. I’m only in town for the funeral. But… it’s been good, brat. Have a nice life. Don’t let any shithead tell you you don’t belong in a space you’ve rightfully earned. People like us have to show them who’s boss.”

Levi looks at Eren, waiting for a reply.

“I-” Eren begins, unable to find the right words. “Can’t we- can I get your number?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d rather not have any sort of reminder of my best friend’s untimely death,” Levi explains coarsely.

“Oh, right, of course, no biggie.” Eren fiddles with his fingers, ears and cheeks burning with shame. Eren feels that same heat pool in his stomach, twisting and turning. He looks down at Levi and awkwardly takes a step forward.

“God, Eren, don’t look at me like I just shot your puppy. Fine, you can-”

Before Levi can finish speaking, Eren’s hands are on Levi’s jaw and tilting his head up until their lips meet in a chaste kiss. Eren’s lips are chapped and dry and he suddenly regrets every single decision he’s made in his life. His head throbs with anticipation until he feels Levi’s lips move against his as they part in surprise. Eren presses harder until Levi pulls away not a second later.

“Do you also have a habit of kissing people at funerals?” Levi asks with a blank stare as Eren pulls his hands away.

Eren gulps in surprise, ready for the beating of a lifetime. He smiles weakly but proudly. “No, just men named Levi.”

“I’m flattered, but you’re an actual germ cell-”

“I’m not a germ!” Eren interrupts.

Levi clears his throat and continues, “A _germ cell_ who sucks at kissing and,” Levi pulls a ring out of his pocket, “I’m married.”

“Holy fuck, I’m so sorry,” Eren whispers. His hands immediately run through his tangled hair. “I’m gonna have a migraine. Shit.”

As if on cue, a short woman with ginger hair walks in their direction, waving to Levi. Levi cocks his brow in her direction. She snakes an arm around Levi’s and says, “Hey, we’re gonna be late for dinner.”

Eren doesn’t miss the identical ring that adorns her finger. He feels his throat close up at the sight.

Levi nods and kisses the woman’s forehead. “Petra, this is Eren.”

Eren looks at her, horrified. He offers her a shaky smile. “H-Hi.”

No ma’am, I did not just make a move on your husband, he thinks.

Petra nearly squeals in delight and waves, “Eren Jaeger! You’re all over TV. You’re amazing. I’m so sorry to hear about your parents. I guess Levi might’ve told you, but we lost someone too. Erwin was amazing. He was the best man at our wedding, and always came to our place for dinner, too.”

“That’s enough,” Levi says softly, fishing for the keys in his pocket. “Let’s get going.”

Eren shakes Petra’s hand. Levi nods at Eren as he places a hand behind Petra's waist. “Goodbye, Eren.”

Eren frowns. “Bye, Levi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i refuse to apologize for this chapter >:)


	3. restart

_One year later._

It’s the weekend. Eren’s usually busy working on homework, a coding project, or taking extra shifts at Shiganshina Coffee down the street, but not today. Last week, he traded shifts with Connie so he could get extra coding time this weekend; but after his all-nighter last night, he successfully completed his coding project after 4 long months of hard work.

A Minecraft mod. Eren couldn’t be prouder.

But Eren has more pressing things to think about now. He stares at the check in his hands while Jean peers behind him curiously. Eren’s hands tremble with anticipation and his eyes flit over the check again and again until he feels a headache threaten to come on.

“Jean, tell me what you see,” Eren’s words come out in a harsh whisper.

“Dude,” Jean whispers back, “That’s a lot of money. That’s an insanely _large_ amount of money. Shit, Jaeger, don’t tell me you’re running some illegal drug ring.” Jean hovers his fingers over the edge of the check. “Give it to me.”

Eren hisses at him and pulls the check away. “Don’t you dare, Horseface.”

“Asshat.”

Eren’s eyes refuse to tear away from the check in his hands. In plain Arial font, the check is addressed to Eren courtesy of the airline company he’s been fighting for over a year. “In loving memory of Carla Jaeger,” it says. He knows his dad’s check would be going to Mikasa.

Hell, the lawsuit took up his life when he should’ve been worrying about his high school graduation and starting college. Not that he would have been able to focus on those things anyway. He made it to his high school graduation by the skin of his teeth.

But now, Eren’s close to wrapping up his first year of college. His parents would have been proud.

“This can’t be real. Fuck, I have to call Mikasa.”

“Mikasa!” Jean lights up at her name and he presses himself to Eren’s shoulder as he scrolls through his contacts. 

“Jean, get off me!” Eren groans, nudging him away as he presses the call button on his phone. Jean makes a disgusted face and seats himself onto his bed.

Eren rolls his eyes and thinks of how Jean’s crush on Mikasa was funny only the first two times he caught him staring at her ass whenever she came over. Eren swears Jean will bang anything within a 5-mile radius, Eren included.

Mikasa answers on the second ring. “Eren?” she says, pleasantly surprised. 

“Did you get any interesting mail today?” Eren finds it hard to breathe as he waits for Mikasa to reply. He wants to cheer and shout at the top of his lungs and maybe even dance a little.

“Uhhh, my new vibrator just arrived but I don’t think that’s relevant to the-” 

“Ew, no! Mikasa!” Eren screeches into his phone, flailing his hands wildly as if he could erase the image out of his head. “That’s totally _not_ what I meant. Check your mail, dammit!”

Mikasa pauses and Eren hears a faint rustling of paper. Eren’s breath hitches in anticipation. “Wait, is this what I think it is? ‘The Trost Company...’ There’s an envelope from Trost in my hands.”

“Open it, open it, _open_ _it_!” Eren urges, practically vibrating in place. Jean watches from the couch, amused. 

“God, okay- okay-” 

Eren hears the growing excitement in Mikasa’s voice and it reminds him of Christmases where he would get Mikasa really excited to open her present and then laugh endlessly when she finds out it’s just a blown up meme or some other gag (but then he’d give her her real present right after to protect himself from her wrath).

“Eren, what the fuck?” Mikasa says breathlessly. 

“I know. Do you know what this means?”

“It’s over. It’s finally over.”

“We did it. Me, you, everyone,” Eren’s voice cracks with emotion. He fondly traces the edges of his desk with his fingers. 

Jean, judging that the conversation might be sensitive, shoves earbuds into his ears and blasts music.

“Trost is shut down, we got stricter maintenance policies implemented, all the checks have been delivered…” Mikasa trails off.

“I feel like I can finally breathe again. Like I’ve been holding my breath for a whole year,” Eren admits. “But at the same time… I thought that when I got this check… I’d feel, I dunno, satisfied?”

“Me too. I just feel emptier,” Mikasa says in a quiet voice.

"It's crazy how you can put a price tag on a life."

“Eren,” Mikasa cuts him off worriedly. “It’s over. We’re done fighting.”

Eren glares at his feet. “I feel like I’m living in a nightmare. I just got a check that basically says, ‘Sorry we killed your parents. Here’s some money, kid.’

“Okay, don’t focus on the check. Focus on what we’ve done. Eren, because of us and the survivors and their families, airlines are gonna double, triple, quadruple check the planes before takeoff. Trost was _shut down_ ,” Mikasa says proudly.

“But our parents are still gone, Mikasa,” Eren adds quietly.

“Yes, they are.”

‘They are,” Eren repeats.

Since their parents’ untimely deaths, money hasn’t been an issue for Eren and Mikasa. From collecting life insurance payouts to their respective inheritances (including their childhood home, which was given to Eren), their parents set things up this way so they wouldn’t struggle.

But Eren has the incredible urge to crumple the check, toss it in the trash, or burn it, even. An unmeasurable guilt racks in his chest. Eren places the check on his desk. He’ll put it into his savings until he figures out what to do with it.

“I’ve gotta go,” Eren says suddenly.

“Oh, hey, wanna get some tacos at, hmm, 7 to celebrate?”

Eren almost laughs. Mikasa gets a boatload of money and the first thing she wants to do is buy the cheap tacos from down the street.

“Yeah, sure, whatever. I’ll come get you.”

Eren hangs up, sighing. He rakes his hand through his hair and habitually ties it back into a bun. He looks at Jean, who’s stretched out on his bed and scrolling through his phone. His relationship with Jean is a strange one– sometimes they absolutely hate each other and get into fistfights and other times, well… 

“Jean!” he shouts, reaching Jean’s distracted eyes.

Jean takes a moment to lower the volume on his phone. “What do you want?”

Eren saunters over to sit on Jean’s bed, fingers curling around the edges of the frame. “Put your phone away.”

“Now, really?” Jean asks with a snort as he winds his arm around Eren’s waist. Jean’s hands ride up underneath Eren’s shirt, pulling him closer. It’s habitual, almost. “Wait, what are you gonna do with the check?”

Eren doesn’t answer and instead grabs onto Jean’s chin to open his mouth. Eren breaks the distance between them with a sloppy, open-mouthed kiss. Jean’s eyes shine with recognition.

“Take off your pants, Jaeger.”

Eren smirks.

\--

College is hard. To Eren, being a Computer Science major is even harder. It’s not that he loathes programming because he _loves_ it. He feels powerful being able to create things with just his computer, creativity, and excessive Googling. He’s been coding occasionally since he was 13, inspired by his Math teacher who made the class code simple games. 

But he never thought he’d major in it or try to make a whole career out of it. Not until his parents died, at least. Not until he met the coolest programmer in the world (in Eren’s pre-professional opinion). 

Eren doesn’t consider himself smart. He’s not going to an Ivy like Armin, nor does he have a 4.0 GPA like Mikasa. Eren has a solid 3.4 and, even though he loves programming, still struggles through his CS homework into the late hours of the night.

So, when Eren says he didn’t expect the call that would change his life from here on out, he means it.

“Ms. Zoe, hello?” he asks, phone lightly trembling in his hands.

“Eren! Good to hear from you again. Can I snag you for a quick moment?” Eren can practically hear Hange’s smile through the phone.

“Yes, yes, of course!”

Three weeks ago, Eren interviewed with a successful tech startup known as “Recon” for their internship program aimed at first and second-year college students. Hange seemed to like him enough during his behavioral and technical portions. But hearing her bubbly voice again sends Eren over the edge in excitement.

“So, I think this was pretty obvious, but I liked you a lot! I think you’d be a great fit for our team here at Recon and would like to formally extend an internship offer to you as a Software Engineer at our headquarters for the summer. I’m about to email you an offer letter with total compensation, start and end dates, et cetera, so just think about it and let me know, okay? We’d love to have you on the team.”

Eren gasps and hurriedly opens his laptop up. With a few taps of his keyboard, he finds the email Hange just sent and skims through it. If he accepts, he would start his internship in two months.

Recon had been Eren’s first choice in his internship search. They’re known for having a good work-life balance and making cool security products. Eren thought he bombed his chances with them after making more than a few mistakes during both the behavioral and technical interviews.

“Gosh, thank you Hange!” he shrieks into the phone. “I accept my offer!”

“Oh, that was quick!” Hange exclaims. “Just send me an email with those exact words and we’ll work from there.”

\--

Hange sighs and throws her feet up onto the desk while looking at Eren’s file. Bright kid. She moves onto the next file. Two more calls to go for the HQ location. 

Levi enters the room with a cup of coffee in his hands and walks through to get to his office. His hair is messy and he looks like he just finished chewing someone’s ass out. Hange notices the atmosphere become tense almost immediately. She watches as Auruo awkwardly coughs and Gunther’s shoulders stiffen while they sit at their respective desks. Hange resists the urge to toss her stress ball in her desk at Levi. She’s not religious at all but God knows he needs it.

Levi seems to sense her watching and stops in front of her desk to glare at her. “What, shitface? Finished calling the new batch yet or do I need to teach you how to do your job, too?”

Hange waves her hand dismissively. “Nah. Don’t you wanna see their files? They’re so talented. I’ve got this one kid who’s working on a Minecraft mod and he-”

“I don’t wanna hear about it,” Levi says curtly before disappearing into his office and closing the blinds. Hange makes sure to stick her tongue out at him before he fully closes them.

Hange huffs and crosses her arms. “He’s no fun at all.”

“He’s gotten _significantly_ meaner since last week,” Auruo whispers from his desk.

Hange rests her cheek on her palm and sighs, averting her gaze to the picture of Erwin and Levi smiling together that’s pinned onto the floor’s bulletin board. “More like since last year.”

Auruo follows her gaze, expression softening. “Poor Petra.”

“Poor Levi,” Hange replies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my apologies, I'm weak to erejean.


	4. reunion

Eren’s ass _hurts._ He gives it a good, tender rub against his jeans and sighs. He just spent the past six hours on a bus to get to his internship site and another two hours getting settled before rushing to the Recon headquarters. The man sitting next to Eren spent the whole ride befriending Eren’s shoulder and marking that friendship with drool. If he thinks back to their interactions carefully, Eren swears he might’ve tried to grope him once. 

Eren shudders at the thought. He adjusts his head to the side, analyzing himself in the lobby’s sparkling clean bathroom mirror. 

He initially thought that Recon would be in a cheap, dingy building with two floors shoved in between some other companies, maybe some plants, and minimal sunlight. But he was completely, utterly wrong. Recon is its own tall, six-story building with a lobby, concierge, and a stunning modern design like it came straight from an interior design magazine. Eren already feels spoiled rotten.

But now he’s worried about his appearance. He knows techies don’t really care about how they dress at work so casual wear is common. Even the concierge is wearing a t-shirt on this hot summer day. Eren’s wearing simple black jeans with a white t-shirt tucked in, and has his hair pulled back into a loose, messy bun he couldn’t _really_ be bothered to fix. But should he maybe fix his hair? Just to make an impression? He wants to do well and knows if he pisses his superiors off on the first day he’ll be in for four long months of misery.

As he contemplates whether he should keep his hair tied or let it down for the day, a urinal flushes, the loud sound of rushing water filling the otherwise silent room, and Jean appears from behind a wall. Jean is dressed slightly more formally than Eren with a long-sleeved collared shirt, a sweater, and dark pants on. Eren strongly resists the urge to snort at how posh Jean always presents himself as. 

He recalls all the times in freshman year when Jean would casually hint that he came from money, with his family winter break trip to Dubai to his spring break trip to Cabo, and the food delivery he had nearly everyday instead of going to the cafeteria despite having a meal plan (his excuse was, “I wouldn’t go to the cafeteria if someone had a gun to my head and threatened to shoot and then disembowel me. Their chicken is _raw_.”)

Eren’s parents weren’t rich. Sure, his dad was a doctor but they were merely comfortable. Eren didn’t go on family vacations, just occasional fancy celebratory dinners (of course, his dad was rarely there since he was always busy “saving lives.”) Most of Eren’s dad’s money went into savings, which he and Mikasa inherited, anyway. And now, with the inheritance and airline compensation combined, Eren has more money than he knows what to do with and he feels too guilty to spend a single cent of it. 

Eren stifles a groan, face twisting into a horrible grimace.

Jean cocks an eyebrow as he approaches Eren at the bathroom sinks, lost in thought and eyes trained on himself on the mirror. Jean lifts the sink nozzle up and smirks. “You know, you would look like less of a hot mess if you just got on the plane with me.”

Eren shoots Jean a deathly glare. “Shut up, Horseface. I still can’t believe I have to deal with you for another four months. Wasn’t a year enough? Stop following me around.”

“Don’t act like you’re not happy to see me, Jaeger. Maybe we can meet up in an empty room later.” Jean sends Eren an obnoxious wink as he finishes washing his hands and drying them.

Eren groans and makes a disgusted expression. “I literally hate you.”

Jean offers him a dismissive wave as he walks out the door. “Whatever. And keep your hair up. It looks better like that.”

Eren scowls in response and takes one last look in the mirror. He decides to take Jean’s advice. He’s determined to conquer the first day of his internship at Recon. 

\--

“Here’s the cafeteria. Feel free to take a break whenever, since we don’t have a set lunch time. Just schedule your eating times around your meetings. Although, given the scheduling, you all might end up taking lunch at the same time everyday,” Hange advises, gesturing to the cafeteria with wide sweeping motions. “Oh, and you’ll use your employee badges to swipe for your meals. We’ve preloaded some money for you all but you can reload them easily at the kiosks around the building.”

The cafeteria is fairly rowdy with employees and just as stunning as the lobby with high ceilings, lots of floor-to-ceiling windows, wooden block furniture, and hanging plants. It’s also just as clean as the lobby, practically sparkling and the faint smell of lemon-scented disinfectant masked underneath the smell of the hot breakfast being offered. 

The food stations pique Eren’s curiosity and he notes the aromas of hot maple syrup, fresh pancakes, eggs, and more delicious-looking breakfast foods. His stomach growls quietly and he regrets not making time for more than a simple energy bar.

Jean lightly elbows Eren in the rib after hearing his stomach growl. “They fed me on the plane,” he says in a singsong voice.

“Yeah, yeah,” Eren replies dismissively, “I’m never getting on a plane with you.”

“Whatever you say.” Jean places an arm around Eren’s neck, giving him a tight squeeze before letting go. 

As Hange leads them upstairs as part of their guided tour, Marco, who’s walking behind Jean and Eren, whispers, “Hey, I don’t mean to intrude, but do you guys maybe wanna eat lunch together today?”

Eren grins, falling a few steps back to line himself up with Marco. Jean does the same. “Of course, dude. What’s your name again? I’m Eren and the idiot over here to me is Jean.” 

“Marco Bodt!” he chatters excitedly, freckled cheeks rising with his smile.

Jean nods in agreement. “Yeah, but be careful Jaeger steals your food. He took my protein bars once without asking-“

“One time, Jean! It was one time!” Eren exclaims as quietly as he can. “It was finals, Marco.”

“Thief,” Jean hisses.

“So you two know each other well?” Marco asks, increasing his strides to stay in line with the other two.

“We were roomies freshman year. Requested each other because we vibed over DMs… at first, ” Jean explains with a smirk. “Jaeger couldn’t get enough of me so he followed me to this internship.”

“Telling lies is a sin, Horseface,” Eren says, making sure to give Jean’s rib a hearty nudge with his elbow.

As Jean expresses his pain in a dramatic fashion, Marco giggles and the three continue to walk together, following Hange through one of the break rooms and back into the hallway. 

Without notice, Hange abruptly stops in her tracks. She pauses in front of a closed door, the shiny plaque reading, “Conference Room.” Some of the interns stumble into each other in confusion, craning their necks to see why Hange stopped. The blinds to the conference room are shut along with the door, but they can hear chattering behind it. 

“Okay, kiddos,” Hange says, swiveling around her heel to address the interns, “As you know, as part of this internship program, we pair you with your very own mentor to help you through every step of the process!”

Eren grins, excited to meet his mentor. He hopes they’re nice and a good teacher. The rest of the intern group seem to share the same sentiments, bubbling with both excitement and anxiety.

Hange giggles and Eren swears there’s a tinge of evil in her laughter. “Your mentors are just as excited to meet you as you are. They don’t even know which one of you they got! I’m personally about to host this pairing event, so be good, sit quietly, and wait until your name is called.”

The intern team nods vigorously and Hange, satisfied (“Good kids.”), leads the team into the room. The room becomes silent instantly as the employees watch the interns march in nervously, awkwardly searching for seats in between some of the employees. As they shuffle in, the employees cheer loudly, welcoming the interns. Eren seats himself in between a scary-looking man and a blonde man with a bun. The scary-looking man looks condescendingly at Eren and Eren sincerely hopes Jean gets matched with him.

“Hmm, we’re still missing a few people. I guess they got caught up,” Hange mutters to herself at the podium. She checks her watch. “It’s not like them to be late.”

As if on cue, the door swings open and two employees walk in. It takes Eren a few seconds to process the two figures in front of him as he does a subtle double take. Levi and Petra, both looking exhausted, take seats next to each other at the very front, where Eren, to his relief, is obscured from their view at the back.

“Oh, shit,” he mutters under his breath.

The scary man next to him stares at him with a funny expression. “You shit your pants, kid? Levi ain’t gonna bite... maybe.”

Eren shakes his head in embarrassment. 

What are the odds, Eren thinks with a nervous smile beginning to turn on his face. He observes Levi, who sits back in his chair, the fabric of his white collared shirt pressed against the leather padding, and crosses his legs and arms to look as unapproachable as Eren remembers. His parted hair is a mess, his stubble is growing out, and the bags under his eyes seem even darker than that day at the funeral over a year ago. He definitely looks different to Eren. Worse, even. 

Petra is sitting up straight, elbows on the table, looking around like a deer in headlights. Her eyelids are rimmed with a slight redness, causing Eren to believe that she had been crying. He gulps, remembering his embarrassment at the funeral. 

He made a move on a married man, and that same married man works here and- Eren would rather be paired with the man glaring daggers next to him than Levi. Eren reads his employee badge hanging on his neck– Auruo.

The man in question leans over to whisper to the other man on Eren’s side, as if Eren weren’t sitting in between them. “She’s crying again, Eld.”

The man with the bun, Eld, looks at Auruo with a sigh and then at Eren. He shrugs, causing Auruo to lean back while crossing his arms.

“Hey, four-eyes, stop gaping at us and get it going,” Levi commands loudly, gesturing for Hange to continue with two curt waves of the back of his hand. 

Hange sighs, easing the concern off of her face and smiling. “Let’s pair up!”

Soon enough, over two-thirds of the twenty interns are paired with a mentor. Jean gets paired with Petra (Eren asks himself how long he’ll go before developing a crush on her), Marco with Eld, Sasha with Auruo (Eren observed that she looked ready to piss herself), Annie with Rico, and so on… 

Eren stops paying attention, too busy observing Levi’s impatient demeanor. He’s tapping the table, eyes honing in on his glass of water as if he couldn’t care less about who he’s paired with. Eren watches as Petra attempts to touch his shoulder at one point, but he shrugs her off instantly. 

Eren is nervous, though, because there are less and less mentors and Hange still hasn’t called his or Levi’s name. 

Finally though, Eren’s name is called. He coughs as he makes his way to the front of the room, scared shitless over what Levi would do if he recognizes him. Once he’s at the front, he stands up straight, too afraid to look in Levi’s direction despite the older man sitting less than four feet away.

He locks eyes with Jean for a second, who’s now at the front with Petra. Jean gives his best obnoxious smirk in an effort to annoy Eren, which doesn’t work because he’s too busy worrying about the man exactly two seats away.

Hange abruptly places a hand on Eren’s shoulder, glasses shining under the ceiling lights. She mouths, “I’m sorry, honey,” to Eren, much to his confusion. He fidgets in place, painfully aware of the 40 or so pairs of eyes on him in the room.

Hange flashes the room an excited grin before wildly gesturing as if she were a game show announcer. “Eren’s gonna be with… -drum roll please, Moblit-”

Moblit, Hange’s assistant who’d been doing drum rolls nonstop, sighs and gives a rather unenthusiastic drum roll, only picking up the pace when Hange gives him puppy eyes. Eren stifles a nervous laugh.

“Levi, our very own department manager!” Hange throws her hands up in the air and turns to face Eren. “Let me know if he’s mean to you, kiddo. I’ll tear him a new one.”

The room is filled with scattered applause and whispers. Eren swears he hears someone near the front say, “Damn, poor kid.” 

Levi cocks his right eyebrow, looking back and forth between Hange and Eren in front of him. Hange vigorously urges him to stand with, in Eren’s opinion, motions similar to a rain dance ritual, which he reluctantly obliges. Levi keeps his trained blank face on the entire time, even as Eren offers him a small smile and extends his hand toward him. Eren catches a whiff of alcohol on Levi and stares into his bloodshot eyes.

“P-Pleased to work with you, Levi,” he whispers his name in the middle of a gulp, feeling it get lodged in his throat. He never thought they would meet again.

“Hm,” replies Levi as he reaches to shake Eren’s hand. His handshake is firm and taut, the epitome of the professional handshake Eren was taught in career development workshops. It’s cold and Eren’s smile falters a bit.

Eren can’t deny the stench of alcohol escaping Levi’s breath and he quickly catches Petra’s eye. Petra’s brows are furrowed and she’s looking at Eren in recognition, concern heavy in her expression.

Hange whispers, “Play nice,” to Levi, causing his shoulders to relax just a fraction. 

Eren’s shoulders relax, too, and he realizes he’s been holding his breath. He exhales deeply and smiles as wide as he can. “I’m Eren Jaeger, your intern, sir.”

Levi nods. Hange moves onto the next pair.

\--

“Bro, Petra’s hot,” Jean comments in between slurps of his noodles. Marco, Reiner, Bertholdt, Sasha, and Annie sit around Jean and Eren on a long table. On one end of the table, Sasha is wildly reenacting how mean Auruo is to her already.

“Tough luck. She’s married to Levi,” Eren replies, taking a large bite of his sandwich. 

Jean stares at him in doubt. “No way, dude. She’s way too good for him. He looked like he was ready to bite everyone’s head off.” Jean shivers his shoulder and looks into the distance as he replays the events of this afternoon in his head.

Eren’s face twists into a grimace as he chews. “He wasn’t _that_ bad. Maybe he was having a bad day.”

Eren thinks of the undeniable stench of alcohol that came from Levi as he stood a foot away from him. He mentally shakes his head, trying to rid himself of the image.

“Wait, how do you know this?” Marco chimes in, cocking his head to one side as he eats his salad.

“Oh,” Eren averts his eyes and stares at the wall, “I overheard some of the employees talking about it when they came in.” His ears burn traitorously. 

Jean snorts, rubbing his hands together to free himself of crumbs. “It sucks that he’s your mentor. You’ll probably be fetching his coffee more than getting some programming help.”

Marco nods his head in agreement. Eren purses his lips and proceeds to stand with his tray, searching for the proper place to dump it. He’s determined to find Levi. 

\--

Finding Levi’s office is simple enough if Eren doesn’t count the two times he walked in circles on the fourth floor. At the pairing event, Hange made sure to hand him an information card with all of Levi’s contact information, including his office’s location. The surrounding area is fairly empty save for Hange working diligently on her laptop right next to Levi’s office door.

“Hi, Hange. That’s Levi’s office, right?” Eren greets her with a wave, pointing to the door in front of them.

Hange pries her eyes away from her laptop and looks at the door. “Yep. Fair warning, Eren: he stormed into his office about thirty minutes ago, looked like he was ready to rage.”

Eren stands in front of the door awkwardly and lowers his hand, deciding against knocking.

“Oh, okay. I guess I’ll come back lat-”

The office door swings open and Levi appears from behind with an empty mug in his hand. He inclines his head to stare at Eren. Eren instinctively takes a step backward, unsure of what to do. He looks at Hange, who shrugs her shoulders and gets back to work.

“Outta the way,” Levi says coarsely, looking Eren up and down. Eren tenses up underneath Levi’s critical stare.

“I wanted to talk,” Eren states, balling his fists and refusing to budge.

Levi furrows his brows, mouth twitching in annoyance. “No.”

When Levi attempts to walk around Eren, Eren sidesteps to block his way. At this point, he has no idea what he’s doing and Hange watches the pair in disbelief. Levi’s forehead wrinkles with anger.

“Fine. Talk,” Levi says slowly, patience wearing thin and mug shaking in his grip.

Eren gulps, words suddenly leaving his brain. He opens and closes his mouth, not really sure what to do or say. “Do you remember me… sir?” Eren asks quietly, boldness flowing through his veins. 

Levi stares hard at Eren, as if he’s trying to place him in a faraway memory. Eren returns a hopeful stare.

“My intern,” Levi answers curtly, “Now move.”

Eren’s lips turn into a deep frown. Levi attempts to walk around Eren again, but he blocks him. Eren feels stupider each second, but resolves to keep going. “Mr. Smith's funeral! I feel like we really bonded and want to have that chance again!”

A few of the interns and employees gather around outside the room, watching Eren and Levi curiously. Hange shoots up from her seat, ready to mitigate and looking back and forth between the pair and the picture of Erwin and Levi on the bullet board.

“Hey now, guys.” Hange raises her hands in a nervous attempt to mitigate the situation, but the pair adamantly ignores her.

Eren’s statement triggers even more anger in Levi. He squeezes the handle of his mug and shuts his eyes tight. Eren steps back cautiously, worried Levi might throw the mug at his face. 

“Hey, brat,” Levi hisses through his teeth, stepping toward Eren with conviction. He raises his hand, gripping the front of Eren’s shirt and forcefully tugging him down to Levi’s eye level. Eren yelps and stumbles as this happens, wishing he could take back every word he’s said.

Levi crumples the neck of Eren’s t-shirt in his hands and bares his teeth. Eren winces as he sniffs the air, catching another whiff of alcohol in his nostrils. 

“I’m sorry,” Eren whispers, back hunched over and arms now raised to surrender. Beads of sweat travel down the back of his nape. Eren’s eyes dart around the room from Hange to his superiors watching quietly on the side.

Levi tugs him closer, their foreheads barely an inch apart. “Your parents didn’t teach you manners, huh? Too dead to teach you, right?” Hurt flashes in Eren’s eyes, but Levi ignores it, the veins in his forehead bulging dangerously. 

“You wanna fucking _bond_ , brat? Bond with my fucking foot when I shove it up your ass, hurl you down those stairs, and make you wish you never stepped foot in _my_ company. Don’t get in my way again.”

Tears well at the corners of Eren’s eyes as Levi releases his grip on Eren’s now-wrinkled shirt. Eren exhales and straightens his back, digging his fists into his palm until his nails bruise his skin. 

Levi clicks his tongue when Eren stands there silently. Levi stomps away as the spectators in the room shuffle awkwardly out of his way. Eren watches as Levi’s shoulders shake with anger. Hange reaches her hand out to Levi, as if she wants to talk, but quickly decides against it.

“Get the fuck back to work, everyone!” Levi roars before disappearing down the hallway. This triggers the employees to rush to their desks in fear.

Eren blinks back tears and clamps his jaw shut before storming off in the opposite direction. On the way, he brushes shoulders with Jean, who is standing with his arms crossed and eyes surveying the scene intently.

“You’re so fucked, Jaeger,” Jean comments.

“Shut up,” Eren says as he walks past him, refusing to meet his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe things are getting spicy


	5. mentor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> brief erejean smut alert. feel free to skip the beginning if you're not into that!

“Fuck, you’re so pretty,” Jean murmurs, breath lightly fanning against Eren’s ear. Jean speaks softly and gently, a stark contrast to his usual bluntness and arrogance toward Eren. He melts into Eren’s touch and plants soft kisses along Eren’s bare collarbone.

Heat pools deep in Eren’s stomach and he lets out quiet moans in response, tracing random shapes along the top of Jean’s back. Jean pushes into him with a groan, hands gripping Eren’s hips and forcing him closer.

Eren ruts his hips, pushing deeper against Jean’s cock and savoring the way Jean slowly rolls in and out of him. Together, they build a steady rhythm, causing Eren to bite back his moans. He arches forward, catching Jean’s mouth in his, and their tongues wrestle sloppily. Jean’s mouth is warm, his frequent pants hot and wet against Eren’s slick, sweat-covered skin. 

“Oh my god, fuck,” Eren moans out as Jean increases his pace and grabs a fistful of Eren’s hair. Jean rocks back and forth, shutting his eyes tight. He squeezes Eren’s thighs, pushing faster and faster.

“Shit, I’m gonna cum,” Jean says, mouth slotted against Eren’s neck and teeth lightly grazing his skin. Seconds later, Jean thrusts into Eren one more time, cock twitching as he releases into the condom. He lets out a loud groan as he slides over to Eren’s side, chest rising up and down while he tries to regain his breath.

Eren sighs softly and closes his eyes. They lie on Eren’s bed in comfortable silence. Sex with Jean is comfortable to Eren. He still remembers the first time– they both attended the same frat party at the beginning of freshman year and had their hands all over each other once they got home. It became a regular occurrence since then. Eren might even say it’s relaxing for him.

“Thanks,” Eren says finally, reaching over Jean for his phone on the nightstand. 7:03 a.m. “We gotta go.”

Jean snorts as he carefully removes the condom. He stands up and tosses it in the trash before searching for his clothes. He slept over the night before, after Eren called him over at precisely 11:00 p.m. 

“You still fighting with your mentor?” Jean asks as he throws his shirt over his torso.

Eren sits up and groans, letting his cotton blanket fall onto his lap. He buries his face in his palms, sighing, “Don’t even remind me. I’ve been quiet for a whole two days now. Every time he walks in the room, I hold my breath and pray he doesn’t throw his coffee mug in my face. He’s an ass.”

Jean hums in response as he makes his way to the bathroom. “That’s reasonable of you. Speaking of everything…” Jean looks away as if he’s afraid to speak, which puzzles Eren. “Are you okay? He said some pretty mean crap. I didn’t know your parents were… I’m sorry, man.”

One side of Eren’s lips tugs upwards into a half smile. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Jean nods. “I’m gonna hit the shower.”

“Oh, wait.”

Jean stops at the doorway, peering back at Eren curiously. “What?”

Eren runs his teeth over his lip. “Have you heard anything from Petra?”

“About what?”

“Levi?” Eren arches his brow.

“Oh.” Jean looks up at the ceiling, thinking. Suddenly, Jean’s face lights up as a memory comes back to him, “Oh yeah, fuck, I forgot to tell you you were wrong. I asked her about her marriage-”

“That’s bold,” Eren interrupts with a laugh.

Jean ignores him, “And she said they’re in the middle of a divorce. After she heard about the whole incident between you and him, she seemed ready to chew him out.”

“They’re divorcing?!” Eren chokes out in surprise, lifting his legs to his chest. He feels a _little_ bad for Levi now, but it’s not nearly enough to squelch his anger toward the man.

“Yep,” Jean replies. “She was so mad, bro.”

Jean shrugs when Eren doesn’t reply and disappears down the hall to Eren’s bathroom. Eren sits in his bed and sighs, a million thoughts running through his mind at once. 

Eren hasn’t spoken to Levi in two days and has no inclination to. He would rather struggle through hours of coding than ask Levi for help. He hasn’t seen much of him, anyway. Anytime Levi enters a room that Eren’s in, he’ll either walk past him without acknowledging his presence or walk right back out. The same goes for Eren– he refuses to be anywhere near him.

In hindsight, Eren knows he shouldn’t have been so stubborn. He _knew_ Levi wasn’t in the mood to talk but wanted to hear that Levi remembered him, just like Eren did. He wanted to hear that maybe the man occasionally thought of him fondly as well. 

Eren purses his lips, staring adamantly at his bare knees. He sometimes finds himself thinking about that day at the hospital waiting room; he vividly recalls anxiously waiting to hear about his parents’ fate, the way Levi opened up to him about his life, and how they were there for each other in the midst of it all.

Levi was a breath of fresh air, the only good thing that came out of the worst day of Eren’s life. 

But Levi had the audacity to mention his dead parents and publicly humiliated him in front of the interns and his superiors. Eren feels anger swell in his chest at the thought. He can’t forgive him for that.

\--

“Sorry, hon, the answer is no,” Hange says exasperatedly, deftly throwing her stress ball back and forth between her palms. She leans all the way back in her chair, feet kicked up on her desk. Her metal-rimmed glasses are set atop her head, making her look different than usual.

Eren frowns, clasping his hands together in a desperate plea. “Please, Hange, give me a new mentor. I’ll do anything.” 

It’s Eren’s lunch break and he’s feeling desperate for some help after struggling through an assignment for hours. He knows he can ask Hange or any other software engineer in the building for help, but he can’t shake the thought of not having a designated mentor to rely on when things get tough. Well, he does have one, but it’s the same as having no mentor at all.

Hange shrugs her shoulders as the stress ball lands in her right palm. She tightens her grip around the ball. “Eren, my dear, even if I wanted to, there aren’t any mentors left for you. Besides, he’ll come through. I hope.” Hange averts her gaze at her last statement, laughing nervously.

“You don’t have a mentee!” Eren cries, racking his fingers through his hair at the thought of four months of Levi glaring at him and lost learning opportunities.

Hange chuckles, “Nuh-uh, I’m staying neutral. I’m evaluating you all at the end of this program.” She places her stress ball on her desk. “Eren, I understand things are hard for you right now. Personally, working with Levi as an equal is already hard enough but he’s brilliant at his job. I believe in you.”

“That’s not enough!” Eren whines, setting both of his palms onto the edges of her desk. “He hates my guts. And frankly, I hate _his_ guts.”

“Hmm, sounds like you’re in a bind,” Hange remarks offhandedly, blowing air out of her lips. “How about you try and talk to him?”

“We saw how well that went last time,” Eren mutters, scratching the back of his head. 

Hange offers him a sympathetic smile and throws her hands up as if she’s out of ideas. “Try again?”

“Fine, I’ll try.” Eren lets out a final groan before heading off to the cafeteria. Hange giggles to herself, amused at how things are playing out.

\--

Sasha opens her jaw wide, ready to devour one of three sandwiches on her tray. Eren quickly slides himself and his lunch tray over to sit next to Sasha. Sasha’s eyes slide over to Eren, her jaws frozen. She subtly shields her sandwiches from Eren.

Eren grins sheepishly and bats his eyelashes. “Hey, wanna trade mentors?” 

Sasha’s jaws unclench and she sinks her teeth into her sandwich. She swallows thickly, taking a few seconds to get all her food down before blankly replying, “No.”

“Damn,” Eren whispers under his breath.

“Nice try, Eren,” Reiner comments from across the table. “Auruo is just a B-grade Levi.”

Eren slams his hands onto the table in defeat. “B-grade is better than what _I_ have!” he cries. “Reiner! I heard Mike sniffed you on the first day. Wanna trade?!” 

Reiner shakes his head back and forth. “No way, brother. I’d rather be sniffed than face Levi’s wrath any day.”

Eren’s shoulders sag and he exhales a deep, long sigh. “I’m so getting fired.”

\--

Eren stands outside of Levi’s office after finally calming himself down enough to just talk to the man. Eren hopes to call a truce. 

The other employees and interns around him discreetly watch with bated breath as Eren delivers two hard knocks onto the wooden door.

A moment passes. Eren debates on whether he should turn around or not.

“Come in,” Levi answers from the room, his tone sharp and clipped as usual. Eren wonders to himself if Levi is sober. Eren obliges and enters the room, closing the door behind him.

Levi is sitting at his desk, reading glasses on and laptop light reflecting in his glasses. He gives one look at Eren, raises a questioning brow, and removes his glasses.

“What?” His voice is stern, unforgiving.

Eren subconsciously balls his hands into fists. He clears his throat. “Can we talk, please?” he asks softly, walking three steps forward. 

Levi leans back into his chair and folds his arms, the incessant creaking being the only sound that fills the room. Eren’s breath hitches and all he wants to do is turn around. He imagines his mom, who would probably be disappointed in him if he kept avoiding conflict like this. She would give his ear a nice, long pinch and proceed to lecture him about responsibility and maturity.

Eren wonders if his mom would be proud that he’s trying, for once, to be the bigger person.

Levi doesn’t answer Eren, though. He stares at him stoically. Eren takes his lack of reply as a green light. Eren hesitantly moves forward a bit more, until the only obstacle between him and Levi is the desk. He seats himself onto the plush, gray chair in front of the desk, sitting at eye level with Levi.

“I’m sorry. I acted… really stubborn the other day. I shouldn’t have mentioned Mr. Smith– not in front of everyone like that. I cornered you. I tried to force you to remember things you probably don’t want to remember. I’m sorry, Levi. I was just trying to reconnect and I screwed it up. I’m sorry.” Eren’s voice wavers with every word. He looks up from his thighs to meet Levi’s eyes.

Levi’s expression remains blank. “Are you done?” 

Eren gapes at him in surprise, expecting a different reply. “Y-Yes.”

“Then get back to work.”

Instantly, a flicker of irritation hits Eren like a lightning bolt. Then, his temper sparks and he shoots up from his seat, anger flooding back into his veins. He shouldn’t have expected anything more from him. He clenches his fists, breaths already starting to become uneven.

Levi is frustrating, stubborn, and terribly mean. Eren wishes he could shake him into submission. To Eren, he deserves an apology more than Levi does, but the man is so socially inept and brutal –Eren likens him to a tyrant– that Eren feels more inclined to give up than ever. 

Eren catches Levi’s eyes and refuses to let him look away. He stares hard, brows deeply furrowed and eyes warped with rage and a tiny bit of hurt.

“I just want a mentor! I need you to be on my side!” Eren shouts, chest heaving up and down. “You told me not to let anyone treat me like I don’t belong in a space I rightfully earned. I had no idea you would be one of those assholes!”

Levi’s expression softens for such a short second that Eren wonders if he imagined it. It causes a glimmer of hope to swell in Eren’s chest. 

“Get out of my office,” Levi commands sternly, eyes shooting daggers into Eren’s.

Every ounce of hope that Eren had crushes in this moment. He huffs and walks away, making sure to slam the door on the way out.

\--

It’s the end of Eren’s work day. Most of the employees and interns have left and it was a particularly light day, overall, if Eren forgets the encounter he had with Levi earlier. 

But Eren is stuck. He’s supposed to be debugging one of the company’s security softwares that’s still in beta mode, but he’s not acquainted with the particular programming language (not after months of coding in just one language) and the thousands of lines of code are beginning to blur. 

He shakes his head, trying to adjust his focus. Eren is sitting in a meeting room adjacent to the main work room, including Levi’s office. He peers through the windows of the meeting room. The blinds to Levi’s office are drawn and Eren doesn’t recall seeing the man leave, but then again, he wasn’t paying very much attention to the outside world for most of the day. He does remembers Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt joining him in solitude for a few hours and then switching off with Jean and Marco, where they collaborated a bit on their respective assignments. 

But now, it’s just Eren and the extensive code he has to work through. He’s not entirely used to working with other people’s code, but luckily the people who wrote it did it as neatly and efficiently as possible. The code looks impeccable to Eren, but he knows that’s not true. If he could only fix the bug… 

Eren’s eyes travel up to the top right of the screen. 6 p.m. He could finish this tomorrow, maybe ask Petra or Eld for help. Just as he resolves to leave for the day, the door creaks open. Eren looks in the door’s direction, wondering who it could possibly be at this hour. 

Levi stands in the doorway with the same pissed off expression he usually wears. Eren groans inwardly. He doesn’t have any more energy to fight with Levi. He’s about to voice his thoughts as politely as he can when Levi shuts the door behind him and takes a seat next to Eren. 

Eren awkwardly scoots his chair over to make room for Levi on the table. He trains his stare on Levi, brows raised curiously. His lips part open, a flow of questions threatening to leave his lips. Levi ignores Eren’s confused expression and scoots closer. 

“Walk me through your code so far,” Levi says rather roughly, gray eyes forcefully meeting Eren’s.

Eren gapes at him in awe, too taken aback to reply. He subtly sniffs the air, noting the lack of an alcohol stench. Levi is sober and, if Eren isn’t misunderstanding, offering to help him (unless, of course, he’s just looking for someone to yell at and call an “incompetent bastard child” for the day).

Levi’s forehead creases. He raises his voice, “You want a mentor or not?!”

Eren’s skin crawls. “I do, I do!” Eren screeches as he snaps out of his confusion, fingers immediately scrambling over the trackpad. He adjusts his laptop so Levi can get a better view, still shaking in disbelief. 

Levi snorts at Eren’s hyperactive behavior, causing Eren’s cheeks to flush in embarrassment. He raises his finger to point to the screen as Eren scrolls, causing him to stop abruptly. “What’s that class for?”

Eren inches closer to the screen to see the class Levi is referring to. He’s amazed that Levi managed to point out one of the lines of code that he came up with. He realizes that it’s probably because Levi worked on this software himself. “Oh, I was trying to rewrite the stats tracker.”

Levi hums, the gentle vibration reverberating against his throat. “That’s a big step, but let’s go back to the beginning. What’s the problem?”

Eren’s shoulders tense up as he mentally prepares himself for any kind of insults or yelling from Levi. One wrong move and it’s over, Eren thinks. It’s a fragile kind of peace that Eren wants to indulge in for as long as possible.

“This,” Eren switches windows to the product prototype and moves his cursor around to circle the page he’s been looking at for hours, “I noticed the user stats aren’t tracking correctly. I think it’s double counting something in-” he moves his cursor in circles, “-these areas, but I don’t know enough yet.”

Eren inhales sharply as Levi leans toward Eren to get a closer look at the screen. Levi notices and rolls his eyes, fingers pointing to Eren’s laptop. “Focus, Eren. We need to do some tests.”

“Okay, let’s do that.” Eren nods, swallowing thickly.

Eren doesn’t ignore the way his name rolls off of Levi’s lips. A light blush dusts his cheeks at the thought. Levi’s voice so far has been uncharacteristically soft and mellow. He watches as Levi gingerly puts on his reading glasses and edges closer, back arched and neck extended toward the screen. Levi’s light breaths fan against Eren’s arm, causing the hairs to crawl up.

Eren’s eyes travel up and down Levi’s face as he explains to Eren a test code that he’s planning to implement. Eren notes how Levi’s eyelashes are short and blunt, just like him (Eren snickers to himself knowing he’d never be able to say that out loud). 

Levi groans and softly whacks the top of Eren’s head with the eyeglass case he pulls from his pocket. “Stop smiling to yourself and listen, you creep.”

Eren rubs his head and fixes his hair, offering Levi a sheepish grin. “Sorry.”

Levi hums and places his eyeglass case onto the table. He looks back and forth between the screen and Eren during his explanation to make sure that Eren is listening. Eren nods carefully and makes noises of agreement despite not really taking in a word Levi is saying.

Eren places a warm hand on Levi’s shoulder, fingers clutching the thick fabric of Levi’s cotton sweater. Eren notes how quickly Levi tenses up under his touch. 

“Are you apologizing right now, Levi?” Eren’s voice lilts sweetly, his chest beginning to swell with confidence.

Levi’s shoulders slump and his eyes hone in on the whiteboard just past Eren. “Call it what you want,” he mutters. “Let’s get back to the problem.”

Eren throws his head back with laughter as he retracts his hand from Levi’s shoulder. He shakes his head, still laughing, “Oh my god, you’re so stubborn.”

“Shut up, brat.” Levi lightly smacks Eren’s head again with his eyeglass case, adjusting his free hand to cover his mouth, which betrays him as the corners twitch into a subtle, minute smile. 

As Eren’s laughter dies down, his eyes soften and he scoots his chair just a bit closer, right until his shoulders are lightly brushing up against Levi’s. He lifts his arm to point at the laptop screen, the scratching sound of Levi’s sweater rubbing against his shirt filling the room.

“I don’t get why you wrote this part,” he mutters, nimbly changing the subject.

Levi adjusts his glasses, frowning. “Cuz you weren’t listening, dipshit.”

Eren leans into his open palm and grins. “My bad.”

They continue like this for an hour and a half, with Eren nearly pulling all of his hair out from frustration and Levi calmly asking questions. Eventually, Eren successfully completes his coding assignment.

“Man, that was insane.” Eren yawns loudly, stretching his limbs a bit. He then places his head down on the cold surface, facing Levi. A bright smile lights Eren’s face up. “You teach good. Thank you.”

“How eloquent of you.” Levi remains in place, arms folded and expression stoic. “I’m not gonna help you like this all the time.”

“I know,” Eren replies in a soft voice, still smiling. “How can I repay you?”

Levi scoffs. “What is this, the 16th century? Are you a damsel in distress?”

Eren flails his arms halfheartedly. “Yes.”

Levi presses a hand to his temple and shakes his head. “Go home before I regret helping you, you dramatic twat.” 

“Okay,” Eren says, snickering as he gathers his things. Levi stands up, too. He waits patiently by the door as Eren shoves his laptop into its sleeve and cradles it under his arms.

As they walk out of the meeting room together, Eren stops in his tracks, causing Levi to do the same.

Levi eyes him up and down. “What? Have you regressed so much you forgot how to walk?”

Eren presses his lips together, frowning. “I’ve been meaning to ask… Are you alright? I don’t want to overstep, but I’m here if you wanna talk.”

And just like that, Levi visibly tenses up. His eyes glaze over and go back to the same blank expression Eren has grown accustomed to. Eren regrets saying anything at all.

“Mind your own business,” Levi says as he briskly walks away from Eren to his office. 

Eren sighs. He looks around the empty room until his eyes snag on the staff bulletin board on the wall directly across from Levi’s office. He stumbles closer, honing in on the polaroid pinned up on the board. It was dated the year prior, mere months before Eren’s parents' deaths. In the picture, Erwin (Eren assumes) and Levi are smiling together at their work desks. While Erwin’s smile is wide and toothy, Levi’s is a subtle upturn of the lips.

He runs his fingers against the rough grain of the bulletin board, unfocusing on the polaroid and realizing just how many interesting mementos are pinned up on the board.

Notes in scrawny handwriting, a terrible drawing of Hange and… Eren’s eyes travel downward to a picture of a good number of the employees, including Erwin, lined up in two rows at Levi and Petra’s wedding four years ago.

Levi is wearing the same thin smile in this picture as well. Eren snorts, thinking of how Levi couldn’t manage a real smile to save his life. He looks closer at the Levi in the wedding photo. His hair isn’t a mess– every strand looks neat and purposefully arranged. He doesn’t have any facial hair and the bags under his eyes aren’t nearly as pronounced as they are now. He’s leaning into Petra with happiness shining in his eyes. 

Eren runs his fingers over Levi’s wedding photo, wondering exactly where things went wrong for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the light fluff makes up for all the drama so far lmao


End file.
